


Snakes and Lions

by AlyAngel



Category: Tortall - Tamora Pierce
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bad Puns, Gen, Thom turns Delia into a snake
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-14
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-18 20:07:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28748958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlyAngel/pseuds/AlyAngel
Summary: Thom finally breaks down under the pressure of Delia's constant goading and does something to prove to her once and for all that he earned his mastery robes fair and square.It is, of course, not what Delia was hoping for him to do. Not even close.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 25





	Snakes and Lions

In hindsight, Thom should have realized that the last place he should have escaped to in order to read in peace while a ball was going on was _the royal garden_. Never mind all of the not-so-secret garden trysts that he kept having to clear his throat to put an end to—the garden was apparently somewhere that treacherous green-eyed snake Delia of Eldorne liked to take a stroll (knowing her, she did it just to get blackmail on all of these nobles who kept stupidly having trysts in the most predictable places). And of course, once Delia spotted Thom, she squealed his name in that irritating and disingenuously sweet way that never failed to make his skin crawl with sheer abhorrence.

He didn’t even really need to listen to her to know what she was going to say by this point. It was always the same thing: flirt with him to get under his skin (in a “fucking get lost bitch” kind of way, of course—Thom was _completely_ unattracted to women), then insinuate that he wasn’t a real sorcerer, then tell him that if he _was_ a real sorcerer and he didn’t earn the title of Master of the Mithran Light at seventeen by laying on his back (she could never resist adding “just like your sister did”, too, which while completely false Thom also couldn’t outright deny because Alanna was in fact fucking the prince) then he ought to prove it by raising the dead.

Of course, Thom knew what she was _actually_ after: she wanted him to bring Roger back from the dead just as the late Duke of Conte had tasked her with, all so Roger could claim his “rightful” throne with her as his queen.He didn’t know why she ever bothered asking _him_ to do it in the first place, though. Did she not know that Thom could _read her damn mind_? Did she seriously think that he was going to just completely disregard his promise to Alanna—that he’d still protect that prick of a prince of hers from magical threats even though Roger was gone—to _knowingly_ bring back the most dangerous magical threat to Tortall? Absolutely not. Even if Alanna hadn’t said it outright, Thom was positive that she wanted him to also make sure Roger _stayed_ dead. He wasn’t going to betray his _sister,_ the _only_ person in his life he could count on through thick and thin, just to prove himself to some good-for-nothing fool who didn’t know when to call it quits. He had absolutely no obligation nor desire to prove himself to the likes of _her._

Thom huffed once she finished her usual spiel. _Why did I ever give her the time of day again? I can track down Roger’s secret study by my damn self using essence magic. I could have saved myself from this damn never-ending headache just by using my damn head for five seconds._

Enough was enough. He wasn’t going to let Delia walk all over him any more. He had magic, and what good was having magic if he couldn’t use it to get the silence and solitude he desired?

“You want me to prove myself?” Thom sneered at her. “How about _this_ , then.”

A single word rolled off of Thom’s tongue and rumbled through the air before booming into a full-on landslide, burying Delia in the purple flames of his Gift. When the flames faded away, there was no longer a Delia of Eldorne—just a small green-eyed, brown-scaled snake. 

Thom went over and picked her up with a satisfied smirk. This is what she deserved for waking up the sleeping lion that was _his_ temper. “I’ll ask you again. How’s _this_ for proof that I _earned_ my mastery?”

She hissed at him angrily, which only made Thom burst into a giggling fit. She couldn’t do anything _but_ hiss at him now, could she? Yes, this was _so_ much better; he should have done this _weeks_ ago. Now, what to do with her now that the pest was a snake...

Thom was so busy thinking about what to do with her that he didn’t even notice anyone approaching until a voice came from behind him. 

“Thom, just what was _that_ about? Everyone with the Gift could feel that all the way from the ballroom.”

Thom jumped, then sighed as he realized it was just Prince Jonathan being his usual nosy, prickish self. He turned to him and held up Delia.

“Oh, there was just a treacherous snake slithering about in the garden. I was just thinking about where to dispose of it so it wouldn't do any further harm.”

Jonathan laughed, and Thom had to admit it was a very attractive laugh. Alanna certainly wasn’t lacking in _taste_ in men—just sense. (Jonathan was still a nosy prick, though; being attractive didn't change that fact.) 

“Thom, that’s a _garden snake_. It’s not even poisonous, so let it slither about the garden all it wants.”

“Oh, is that so?” Thom shrugged his shoulders. Why was he even contemplating what to do with her, anyhow? She could become the queen garden snake of the royal garden for all he cared. He flippantly tossed Delia in the direction of the rose bushes, not even bothering to watch her fly as she hissed at him indignantly. “I’m afraid they don’t teach _anything_ about animals in the Mithran cloisters. If you want an animal mage, you’re going to have to dig one up out of the Carthraki University.”

“Duly noted,” Jonathan replied, his voice quivering like he was trying not to laugh again. “Though, speaking of magic, I’ve been meaning to ask you something, if you don’t mind.”

“You can ask, but I won’t guarantee I’ll answer it.”

Jonathan grinned. “Of course. Let's take this to my study, shall we?"

Thom supposed that even if Jonathan’s question ended up being something stupid, at least Jonathan’s study would be quiet enough for him to read in peace unlike here in the garden. 

"After you."

—

It was only the next day, long after the Lord Provost asked Jonathan if he had happened to see where Delia went after she left the ball, that Jonathan realized what Thom _really_ meant when he said that surge of magic was him taking care of “a treacherous snake”.

A treacherous snake indeed… That pun was so utterly atrocious that Jonathan decided it needed to be repeated to George, who laughed his guts out then said he was _definitely_ going to expedite Alanna receiving _that_ bit of palace gossip.

**Author's Note:**

> Of course Alanna approves of Thom's antics here. No one hates Delia more than Alanna.


End file.
